Rex Barber

East Tennessee State University’s winter term continues to be a success, as hundreds more students signed up for this year’s session than the year before.
This winter term, which is the second one ever offered at ETSU, began Dec. 18 and will end Jan. 31, said Sarah Bradford, director of the office of summer and winter sessions at ETSU. ETSU’s spring semester begins today. The winter term and the spring semester overlap to allow students the opportunity to use spring financial aid money toward their winter term course.
The first winter term featured 73 classes. This term there were 82 offerings.
Bradford said enrollment was up 21 percent from the previous year. Revenue for the term is up 34 percent, she said.
The College of Arts and Sciences provided the most courses for this term with about half the offerings, but the colleges of nursing, business and technology, clinical rehabilitation and education all had courses in the mix.
“We ended up with a broader mix than we thought we were to, even last year,” Bradford said. “So we had a good blend of classes from the colleges across campus.”
Bradford said professors and administrators now are comfortable with the winter term and will likely opt to participate more often going forward.
“So I think we’ll continue to grow,” she said. “I think there is a demand there. There is a student need for these courses.
“We know from direct student feedback that there area a number of students who will be able to graduate ahead of schedule.”
Allowing students to graduate earlier than they would have with only regular semesters was one of the goals of the winter term, Bradford said.
Bradford said students can only sign up for up to four credit hours during the winter term right now, though some interest has been expressed for increasing that number.
In the first winter term, 920 students enrolled. This time there were around 1,100 students enrolled.
“I am pleased with the result we had this year, and I look forward to what we can do in down the road,” Bradford said.
For more information about the winter term, visit www.etsu.edu/winter.